Correction officials identify inmate found dead in apparent suicide

The state Department of Correction has identified the inmate who died in an apparent suicide yesterday at Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers. Edwardo Velasquez, 48, of Bridgeport, was serving a 43-month sentence for possession of less than four ounces of marijuana or a controlled substance and other offenses, the department said today in a news release.

Correctional staff discovered Velasquez while conducting a routine tour at about 3 a.m., officials said. Velasquez was found in his cell with a piece of bed sheet tied around his neck and attached to the window bars of his cell, the release said. He was the only inmate in his cell at the time, according to officials.

Medical and correctional staff took life saving measures immediately, and Velasquez was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs where he was pronounced dead at 4 a.m.

The state Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the manner and cause of death, and an investigation by the Department of Correction Security Division and the state police will continue.